Machine for setting turbine-blades



G. V. SULLIVAN.

MACHINE FOR SETTING TURBINE BLADES.

APPLICATION FILED oc.4. ma. J

1,319,732'.- Patented 0t.2s,191s.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

'ORNEX' G, V. SULLIVAN. MACHINE FOR SETTING TURBINE BLADES. APPLICATIONFILED DEC.4. 1912.

1,319,732. Y Patented 001;.2s,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

01mm v .Axunuum r). WASHINGTON, and.

, 1 I lw f GILES VALIN SULLIVAN,

sAN EEANcIsco, cALIEoENIA, ASSIGNOR To BETHLE- HEM SHIPBUILDINGCORPORATION, LTD, or BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

tmg'TurbineBlades, of which theffollowinglis a specification.

y invention consistsof'a novel machine for setting turbine blades withrespect to a turbine disk.

' It further consists of a novel construction of a machine for settingturbine blades on a turbine disk, whicl can be adapted to varionediameters of disks, wherein I provide novel means for rotatablysupporting the turbine disk, in conjunctionwith means for rotating saiddisk and its adjuncts in a desired direction during the setting of theblades, means being provided for reversing the direction ofrotation ofthe disk so as to set the blades on an opposite portion thereof, wherebytime and labor are reduced to a minimum and the blades are all evenlyand accurately set and assembled in a much more expeditious andeffective manner than is i possible where the blades have been insertedand calked in place by hand. 7

To the above ends, my invention consists of a novel construction andarrangement of gearing with respectjto an electric or other prime motor,whereby the shaft or head carrying the turbine disk or on which saiddisk is centered can be revolved in either dimeat and oigaaziatiea ofrection or reversed at will, thereby permitting a limited rotarymovement of the turbine disk and the turbine blade thereon until thelatter contacts with a suitable abutment or jaw tool which arrests themove ment of said blade and effects the setting of the blades in a rapidand efiective manner.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferredjbyme, since the same will be found in practice togive satisfactory andreliable results, although itis to be understood that the variousinstrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and that my invention is iijotflimited to, theprecise arrange.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 4, 1918Serial No.

these instrumeifi MACHINE FOR SETTING URBINE-BLADES.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919. 265,282. C

talities as herein shown and described, ex-

cept as required by the scopeof the appended claims. Figure 1 representsa frontele'vation of a machine for setting turbine blades embodying myinvention, showing also an end elevation of a turbine disk and bladesthereon.

Fig. 2 represents an end View or right hand elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig.3 representsa section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 through theouterperiphery of the turbine disk, showing a plan view of a portion of aturbine blade. i

Fig. 4 represents a perspective detail of the j aw tool, to0l post andtheir adjuncts.

Fig. Srepresentsa perspective view showing the manner of initiallyinserting a turbine blade in position.

corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings,

1 designates the housing or frame-work of my novel machinefor settingturbine blades, which in the. present instance is shown as being builtup out of the head of a Gisholt lathe changed to suit the conditions andrequirements hereinafter referred to.

2 designates the shaft of the lathe head 8, which is provided with achuck 4, which may be of any suitable or conventional type, as willbeunderstood from Fig. 2, said shaft Qbeing mounted in suitable bearingson said frame-work or housing.

5 designates an electric or other prime motor, which is reversible,whereby the shaft 6, which is mounted in suitable bearings, may berotated at will in either direction, said shaft carrying the worm 7,which is in mesh with the worm gear 8, which I have shown as beingfitted on or attached to one of the stepped cones 9, it being understoodthat said worm gear 8, cone9 and shaft 2 r0- tate in unison, 1Odesignating the smaller member of the cone surface of the lathe e011:

"2, so as as aerate raises therewith,"

said pinion 11 meshing with the gear 12, which is mounted on the shaft18, which revolves in suitable bearings 14.

15' designates a pinion mounted on the shaft 13 and in mesh with thegear 16, which is mounted on the shaft 2. 17 designates a standardhaving on its upper portion 18 a slotted jaw tool or abutment 19, whoseconstruction will be understood-from the perspective view in Fig. 4,said jaw tool 19 being clamped in position by any suitable means, aswill be understood from said figure, and being capable of being movedtowardor away from the turbine, disk, so as to accommodate disks ofvarying diameters.

20 designates the turbine disk to be bladed, which comprises a suitableweb or body portion having a peripheral head or rim 21, whose contour incross-section will be best understood from Figs. 3 and 5, said head orrinr being shown as a polygonal enlargement extending peripherallyaround the turbinedisk body, and having as at the points '22 in itscircumference, radial cut away portions in the periphery of the head 21,which are cut down, flush with each side: of said web or body portion,as best seen in Fig. 5.

23 designates the turbine blade, which may be of the usual form andcharacter, each being provided with a base portion 24:, as seen in Figs.3 and 5, and each of said 1 base portions having a slot therein formedby the walls 25 and 26, which conform to the contour of the peripheralrim or head 21, the rear wall of said slot being open, as

indicated at 27.

The method of setting the turbine blades on a turbine disk is asfollows:

The turbine disk having been suitably centered in the jaws 28 of thechuck 4, seen in Fig. 2, the turbine blades are slipped on the turbinedisk through the slots 22 seen in: Figs. 2 and 5, which slots at thetime of the introduction of a blade 23 may be located for instanceeither above the abutmentor jaw tool 19 as .atabout the point A--A abovethe jaw tool or below said jaw tool, as at about the point B-B. A lighttap of a hammer starts the blade on the rim 21 of the disk, then themotor 5 is i started, and by the revolution of the disk 20, the blade isbrought into contactwith the jaw tool on the tool post. When the partsare in the position seen in Fig. 2, assuming that a turbine blade hasbeen placed 1n position in the slot 22, when it was above the jaw tool19, it willbe understood, assuming the rotation of the turbine blade tobe in the direction of the arrow a, that the blade 23 has come to restagainst the top of the abutment 19 and that the rotation of the turbineblade will continue until said turbine blade 23 seen immediately abovethejaw tool 19is contiguous to. the Wall 29 of the turbine blade 23 seenat the right of Fig. 2. The motor is stopped at this point and itsdirection of rotation isnow reversed, whereupon the turbine blade 23seen at the lower left-hand portion of Fig. 2, having been placed in theposition seen, will abut against the bottom ofthe jaw tool 19 and therotation of the turbine disk 20 in a direction opposite to the arrow at,will bring the Wall 30 of said turbine blade 23 seen at the left of Fig.2 below the jaw tool against the wall 31 of the turbine blade 23 seen atthe right ofFig. 2.

The operation is thus repeated,the direction of the rotation of themotor being alternately reversed until the .disk has been completelybladed.

It will be seen from the-foregoing that after the application of thefirst blade and the securing of it in place upon the rim of the turbinedisk, the operation ofapplying additional blades is continuous, untilthe total which the disk will carry has been applied. The entireoperation is one of the application of blades and the alternate reversalof the turbine disk, the reversal becoming gradually less incircumferential eX- It will be understood that the contour of the slot19 in the j aw tool 19 can be varied, if desired, and said jaw tool canbe moved toward or away from the chuck 4 by loosening the bolts 28 andthe clamping plate 29,

thereby permitting the shifting of said jaw tool, or, if desired, thetool post 17 and its adjuncts can be shifted to accommodate turbinedisks of different diameters.

By my novel machine for setting turbine 4 blades, it will be apparentthat a blade is set during each partial rotation of the turbine disk ineither direction, so .that time and labor are economized and all theturbine blades are evenly set withgrespect to the turbine disk, so thatno subsequent rectifying of the blades is necessary, which rectifying isnecessary where the turbinev blades have been inserted and calked'byhand.

It will be understood that all theturbine blades as 23, 23, 2?)",23 and23 are identical, and that I have used thedifferent designationstherefor, forthe purpose of clearly explaining the operations referredto.

While I have shown but one type of turbine disk having a rim of theconfiguration and contourof the slot in the 'coacting turbine bladesseen'in Figs. .3 and 5, it will be effect evident that the broadprinciple of my invention is equally applicable to turbine disks havingrims of different contour and turbine blades differently slotted fromthe construction shown.

It will now be apparent that I have de vised a novel and usefulconstruction of a machine for setting turbine blades which embodies thefeatures of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of thein- 1. In a machine for setting turbine blades on a turbine disk, meansto rotate said disk, and means to engage a turbine blade assembled onsaid disk and to effect the setting of such blade in proper position onsaid disk during the rotation of the latter.

2. In a machine for setting turbine blades on a turbine disk, means torotate said disk, and an abutment adapted to engage a turbine bladeassembled on said disk and to the setting of such blade in properposition on said disk during the rotation of thelatter,in combinationwith means for reversing the direction of rotation of said disk.

3. In a machine for setting turbine blades on a turbine disk, a supportfor a turbine disk, means for rotating said'support and disk in eitherdirection, and a slotted abutment adapted to engage a turbine blade andarrest its movement during the limited continued rotation of saidsupport and disk.

4. In a machine for setting turbine blades on a turbine disk, a

disk, means for rotating said support and disk in either direction, anda slotted abutment adapted to engage a turbine blade and arrest itsmovement during the limited continued rotation of said support and disk,in

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe support for a turbine combination with means for adjusting theposition of said abutment with respect to said turbine disk support.

5. In a machine for setting turbine blades on a turbine disk, means forsupportingand rotating a turbine disk, means for reversing the directionof rotation of said disk, and means for arresting the movement of aturbine blade with respect to said disk during the rotation of thelatter in either direction.

6. In a machine for setting turbine blades on a turbine disk, a motor, amotor shaft, a worm on said motor shaft, a shaft located above saidmotor shaft, a worm carried thereby, a pinion on said latter shaft, agear in mesh with said pinion, an upper shaft on which said gear ismounted, bearings for said upper shaft, a pinion on said latter shaft, agear on the shaft carrying said worm, a chuck for a turbine disk on saidworm shaft, and an abutment adapted to be adjusted with respect to saidchuck for arresting the movement of a turbine blade with respect to saiddisk.

7. In a machine for setting turbine blades on a turbine disk, a motor, amotor shaft, a

thereby, a pinion on said latter shaft, a gear in mesh with said pinion,an upper shaft on which said gear is mounted, bearings for said uppershaft, a pinion on said latter shaft, a gear on the shaft carrying saidworm, a chuck for a turbine disk on said worm shaft, and an abutmentadapted to be adjusted with respect to said chuck for arresting themovement of a turbine blade with respect to saiddisk, said motor beingcapable of rotation in either direction.

8. In a machine for setting turbine blades, means for centering aturbine disk, means for rotating said disk in opposite directions, andan abutment or jaw tool having a projecting member located in proximityto the rim of said turbine disk and adapted to arrest the movement ofthe turbine blade with respect to said turbine disk.

GILES VALINTINE SULLIVAN.

Witnesses:

MAURICE AsHER, F. C. KOBELY.

Washington, D. G.

